Protective cases

Abstract

Protective cases for transporting a planar-shaped object includes a body including side, front, rear, and bottom walls coupled at edges thereof to define a housing having a cavity therein, an opening defined by uppermost edges of the side, front, and rear walls, and a lid secured to at least one of the uppermost edges of the side, front, and rear walls. The side, front, and rear walls and the lid each comprise a multilayer construction including an exterior layer, an interior layer, and at least one protective layer enclosed therebetween. The side, front, and rear walls include at least an impact-absorbing layer and optionally a rigid layer, and the lid includes at least an impact-absorbing layer.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A protective case for transporting and storing a planar-shaped object, the protective case comprising:
 a body including a first side wall, a second side wall spaced apart from the first side wall, a front wall, a rear wall spaced apart from the front wall, and a bottom wall coupled to the first and second side walls, front wall, and rear wall at edges thereof to define a parallelepiped-shaped housing having a cavity therein configured to receive the planar-shaped object; 
 an opening at an end of the body oppositely-disposed from the bottom wall and defined by uppermost edges of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, and the rear wall; and 
 a lid secured to at least one of the uppermost edges of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, or the rear wall and configured to close the opening and secure the planar-shaped object within the cavity of the protective case; 
 wherein the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid each comprise a multilayer construction including an exterior layer, an interior layer, and at least one protective layer enclosed therebetween, each of the protective layers comprises at least one impact-absorbing layer configured to cushion the planar-shaped object, the protective layers of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, and the bottom wall comprising a rigid layer configured to increase the rigidity of the protective case; 
 wherein the exterior layer and the interior layer of each of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid are directly connected to each other at ends and corners of the protective case adjacent and between edges of the protective layers. 
 
     
     
       2. The protective case of  claim 1 , wherein the protective layers substantially cover an entirety of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid. 
     
     
       3. The protective case of  claim 1 , wherein adjacent edges of the impact-absorbing and rigid layers in the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid do not directly contact one another at the corners of the protective case. 
     
     
       4. The protective case of  claim 1 , wherein the rigid layer of each of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, and the bottom wall is located between the exterior layer and the impact-absorbing layer thereof. 
     
     
       5. The protective case of  claim 1 , wherein a majority of forces externally applied to the protective case are distributed among the rigid layers of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, and the bottom wall rather than to the planar-shaped object within the cavity of the protective case. 
     
     
       6. The protective case of  claim 1 , further comprising a transparent pocket secured to an exterior surface of the exterior layer of at least one of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid, the transparent pocket being configured to store and display written documents. 
     
     
       7. The protective case of  claim 1 , further comprising a pocket secured to an exterior surface of the exterior layer of at least one of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid, the pocket being configured to store a power cord or computer monitor cord. 
     
     
       8. The protective case of  claim 1 , further comprising handles or a shoulder strap. 
     
     
       9. The protective case of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one strap for securing the lid to close the opening and secure the planar-shaped object within the cavity of the protective case. 
     
     
       10. The protective case of  claim 1 , wherein the exterior layer of each of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid is an integral sewing and stitching of material throughout the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid. 
     
     
       11. The protective case of  claim 1 , wherein the internal layer of each of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid is an integral sewing and stitching of material throughout the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid. 
     
     
       12. The protective case of  claim 1 , wherein the lid includes a rigid layer configured to increase the rigidity of the protective case. 
     
     
       13. The protective case of  claim 1 , wherein the planar-shaped object is within the cavity of the protective case and has a flat display screen that substantially covers at least one side of the planar-shaped object. 
     
     
       14. The protective case of  claim 13 , wherein the planar-shaped object is a flat-screen device. 
     
     
       15. A protective case having a cavity therein for transporting and storing a planar-shaped object, the protective case comprising:
 a body including a first side wall, a second side wall spaced apart from the first side wall, a front wall, a rear wall spaced apart from the front wall, and a bottom wall coupled to the first and second side walls, front wall, and rear wall at edges thereof to define a parallelepiped-shaped housing and the cavity of the protective case therein that contains the planar-shaped object; 
 an opening at an end of the body oppositely-disposed from the bottom wall and defined by uppermost edges of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, and the rear wall; and 
 a lid secured to at least one of the uppermost edges of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, or the rear wall and configured to close the opening and secure the planar-shaped object within the cavity of the protective case; 
 wherein the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid each comprise a multilayer construction including an exterior layer, an interior layer, and at least one protective layer enclosed therebetween, each of the protective layers comprises at least one impact-absorbing layer configured to cushion the planar-shaped object, the protective layers of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, and the bottom wall comprising a rigid layer configured to increase the rigidity of the protective case; 
 wherein a majority of a force externally applied to the case is distributed among the rigid layers of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, and the bottom wall rather than to the planar-shaped object; 
 wherein the exterior layer and the interior layer of each of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid are directly connected to one another at ends and corners of the protective case adjacent and between edges of the protective layers. 
 
     
     
       16. The protective case of  claim 15 , wherein the protective layers substantially cover an entirety of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid. 
     
     
       17. The protective case of  claim 15 , wherein adjacent edges of the impact-absorbing and rigid layers in the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid do not directly contact each other at the corners of the protective case. 
     
     
       18. The protective case of  claim 15 , wherein the rigid layer of each of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, and the bottom wall is located between the exterior layer and the impact-absorbing layer thereof. 
     
     
       19. The protective case of  claim 15 , wherein the exterior layer and the interior layer of each of the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid are each an integral sewing and stitching of material throughout the first side wall, the second side wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the bottom wall, and the lid. 
     
     
       20. The protective case of  claim 15 , wherein the lid includes a rigid layer configured to increase the rigidity of the protective case.